The Ancient Truth
by Amydali86
Summary: What if? What if Serena and Darien met and hated each other on first sight? Or argued in the Silver Millennium? What if they did not fall in love right away?


Disclaimer: I do not own Sailor Moon

Author's Note: Okay I swear I did not mean to start a new fan fiction, but I could not resist, because it practically wrote itself. The anime and the manga say Darien and Serena loved each other in the Silver Millennium, but I kept thinking- what if? What if they met and hated each other on first sight? Or argued in the Silver Millennium? What if they did not fall in love right away? So this story explores that idea.

Enjoy!

The Ancient Truth

Chapter One: The Original Meeting

The Present:

Everyone said they had been in love from the start when they lived in the Silver Millennium, But they were wrong. She alone knew that Prince Endymion and the Moon Princess had despised each other. She alone remembered the arguments they had early on in their acquaintance and their shouting matches. Luna, Artemis and the other girls did not seem to remember enough to know that the Earth Prince and the Moon Princess were enemies. Or they had been.

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The Silver Millennium: The Moon Kingdom:

Queen Serenity glided into her throne room, smiling as her eyes met her daughter's in the audience. The young princes had once again 'borrowed' the disguise pen from the collection of crown jewels they kept in the small vestibule behind the throne room. Serena often used the pen to disguise herself so that she could mingle within their subjects without being recognized. Not to spy on them, but so she could be treated as their equal, instead of their royal princess. But the queen had requested that Serena be here in time to meet the peace delegation from Earth. Earth would become part of the Silver Alliance if their discussion went well and the delegation was pleased.

Serenity wanted her daughter there to meet the delegation- as this would be Serena's first meeting with the political leaders of another planet outside of the Silver Alliance and Serenity had decided to make it Serena's first move as a political leader. Or future political leader. Either way, Serena needed practice in three things- diplomacy, being the first of the three. She guessed that Serena just wanted to observe the delegation first. It was fine. She sighed as she kept onto her public royal face and glided down the runner to the thrones. She sat in one of the high backed, softly padded chairs, and as the light from the chandeliers above glinted off of her tiara, she heard the bells from the gatehouse that signaled the arrival of their visitors.

A herald came into the throne room, swiftly walking up the runner towards the queen. He bowed, and stated, "Your Majesty's guests have arrived."

The queen regally nodded and motioned for the herald to bring in the delegation into the room. Two men in gray uniforms strode into the room followed by a dark haired young man wearing a royal uniform. He was followed by two more men in the same gray uniforms. When they reached the thrones the two men in front bowed and then stood to the right and left of the dark haired man. He bowed then stepped a few steps closer to the throne, announcing, "I am Prince Endymion."

Queen Serenity stood up and motioned for him to sit in one of the throne reserved for visiting royalty. He nodded, a little stiffly, and sat as the two men behind him stood to the left and right sides of the audience.

Queen Serenity saw, out of the corner of her eye, her daughter leave the audience and assumed she was going to go "change". She kept her face turned towards Endymion and asked him, "Did you have a safe journey?"

"It was a good journey," Endymion responded. He too had seen the young girl with short blonde hair leave the throne room and made a mental note to find out who she was and why she suddenly left. "It was quick, anyway," he continued, "And thank you for the refreshments we were served." Serenity smiled and finally turned out to her subjects.

"If you do not mind, I need to see to my daily audience." at Endymion's nod, she motioned for the herald to read from his scroll.

"Lady Charlotte D'Vane and Lord Gregory of Fern Park," he intoned.

A couple in their fifties stepped out of the waiting audience and approached the queen, "Your Majesty," they genuflected, rising when the queen motioned for them to rise.

"And your dispute?" Serenity asked.

"My daughter, Lady Felicity, wishes to marry Lord Gregory's son, Lord Brandon. We started to draft a betrothal agreement."

"Lady Charlotte refuses to give the land adjacent to mine as Lady Felicity's dowry."

"The land belongs to her children. It is not for her dowry," Lady Charlotte retorted.

"Well, she will not have children if she does not marry," he responded.

"All right!" Serenity cut in before the argument could escalate, "I have a solution." The herald eagerly held aloft the quill and parchment, "Make the betrothal agreement say that the land is for any future children Lady Felicity and Lord Brandon have. In addition, Lady Charlotte will add one hundred gold coins for each children born."

"That's out-" Lady Charlotte started to interrupt, something that shocked the queen's audience as well as her guests.

"Furthermore, Lord Gregory will set aside one hundred coins for each children born, to be given upon his death, and will make a portion of his land inheritable for the oldest granddaughter, upon the birth of said grandchild. This insures that you are equally devoted to the betrothal of your children and the anticipated grandchildren." Queen Serenity said, never raising her voice above a normal speaking voice and the messenger paused in his writing of the proclamation.

There was a stunned silence from Lord Gregory and Lady Charlotte, then finally he stepped forward and said, "Done," and Lady Charlotte nodded. They signed the paper the messenger had been writing upon, showing that they agreed with the queen's decision in regards to their children's betrothal.

They stepped back into the audience at the moment Princess Serena appeared at the entrance to the throne room. The herald saw her first and boomed out, "Her Royal Highness, the Moon Princess Serena."

Serena swept the room with her gaze and the entire room fell silent as she approached the thrones. Her crystalline eyes met Endymion's sapphire eyes and they widened in surprise when he continued to stare at her with an intense stare. She froze, as if a deer caught by the scent of human, then instead of fleeing, she continued up the red carpeting towards her mother and their guest. She curtsied, first to the highest ranking member in the room (her mother) and then to the prince. She walked up the steps to her throne, and sat, carefully smoothing her dress.

"Hello, my daughter," the queen said, and she turned to her audience and motioned for the herald to continue with the petition of the granted audiences.

After the queen's audience ended, Prince Endymion saw the young princess lean close to her mother to whisper something to the queen who adamantly shook her head, refusing whatever request her daughter made. The princess gave a visible shudder but the queen placed her hand upon her daughter's bare arm and gave it a calming stroke. The princess leaned back, persuaded to stay with them.

The queen dismissed the nobles and the common folk who came seeking an audience. The herald followed them out of the throne room and as soon as he closed the door.

However, as soon as the doors snapped shut, they were thrown open once more, and shut in the faces of the herald and the castle's seneschal. The girls were giggling and chattering like magpies and they did not pay attention to their spectators. Princess Serena gave soft squeal of joy and ungracefully launched herself from the throne and down the runner. The four girls gave equal girlish squeals of joy and they circled her in a group hug. Soon, they parted and turned toward the queen. It was then they saw the queen's guests. Their eyes widened and three of them started to blush. The brunette stepped forward and fixed her green eyes upon the prince as she curtsied to the moon queen. As each young women approached the throne and curtsied, Prince Endymion noticed that they were wearing cloaks which were fastened with a brooch shaped into a sword. His eyes widened for those brooches symbolized that they were warriors of the Silver Alliance.

"Prince Endymion, these young women are friends of my daughter and the Planetary Guardians of the Silver Alliance. Princess Minako, of Venus," the girl with blonde hair stepped forward, gave a regal nod and drifted to the side of the runner, "Princess Makoto, of Jupiter," the brunette with green eyes gave Endymion a hard stare and placed a protective hand upon the shoulder of Serena, "Princess Ami, of Mercury," the girl with short blue hair gave shy curtsy, "Princess Rei, of Mars," the girl with long black hair stepped forward, batted her eyelashes and smiled.

Once more he was surprised. The Silver Alliance rarely used royals as guardians of the planets. These four young princesses must be very powerful. He inclined his head and motioned for his uniformed men to step forward, "These four are my Royal Protectorates, as well as my trusted friends. Kunzite," a tall, silver-haired man smiled and gracefully bowed, "Zoicite," a pretty man with blonde hair smiled and adjusted his glasses, "Nephrite," a man with reddish brown hair also smiled, "and this is Jadeite." The fourth man stepped forward and made a bow.

The four princess guardians curtsied once more and finally sat down in the chairs Queen Serenity had had the footmen bring in the throne room. The protectorates sat as well and they all enjoyed the conversation that flowed around them. As they listened to the Guardians chatter and gossip about their home planets, Endymion's eyes flicked over to Serena as she sat quietly to one side and he stealthily made his way over to her side. He murmured- so that only she would hear, "Princess, your hair is making me hungry."

She stiffened and glared to him from beneath her eyelashes, "Why would say so, Your Highness?"

He had a feeling that she said Your Highness the way most women would say 'You Asshole'. "It's your hairstyle."

"Yes?"

"It reminds me of an Italian dish that is made on my planet."

"And?"

"It's called spaghetti and meatballs."

She gasped, whispering, "How dare you?" She stood up and started to walk away. The queen's seneschal walked into the throne room. He leaned towards the queen whispering a few words.

Serenity stood up, announcing, "Supper is ready."

Endymion approached her side, and offered the queen his arm. On his planet the highest ranked male always escorted the highest ranked female. She gave him a small smile and then called her daughter, "Serena will you allow Endymion to escort you to the dining room?"

Serena nodded, because she would never disobey outright her mother. She laid her hand within the crook of Endymion's elbow and smiled down at her and they lead the way to the private dining room. They were followed by the pairs of Ami and Zoicite, Kunzite and Minako, Rei and Jadeite, and Lita and Nephrite.

The queen followed behind them and she was joined by seneschal. She sat at one end of the table and allowed the seneschal to seat her. She watched as each of the protectorates pulled out a chance and sat the princess they had escorted. She glanced at her daughter and her escort as they sat at the other end of the table. They seemed to be getting along.

She signaled to the footmen to begin serving the meal. They walked around the table, ladling soup and offering bread as they poured wine. There was a lull of conversation as everyone took their first bites of food and sips of wine. Soon soup bowls were cleared from the table a chicken dish was served with rice and vegetables. Conversation returned to a low decibel as they once again chewed their way through the meal.

However, Serena and Endymion remained suspiciously quiet (or so the queen thought) and as plates were cleared and wine glasses refilled, the queen raised her voice so that the group at the end of the table may hear, "I have a small announcement to make," All eye turned upon her, "There is set of meetings at the Hall of Portals this week which I must attend for the Silver Alliance. As Earth is not a member, Prince Endymion and his Royal Protectorates cannot attend. Serena, my daughter, I need you to take control of the negotiations between the earth and the moon for the earth to join in the Silver Alliance."

There was a stunned silence, and then Serena nodded and said, "It will be done, Mother."

"Good," Serenity signaled to the footman to bring the desert course. It soon disappeared and as the queen glanced around the dining room she saw the prince and his warriors stifle yawns. The Guardians also stifle yawns and as the table was cleared, Serenity said, "Serena, I need you and the Guardians to stay here for a short while."

They nodded, and Serena said, "Yes Mother."

"Prince Endymion, I imagine you and your guests are tired. I will have a footman escort you to the guest chambers."

Endymion stood up and his men took this as a sign to stand up as well. A footman stood at the entry way of the dining room and he led the way through a gallery of portraits. Endymion noticed a painting of a family of four. It was Serenity, her daughter, a man (her consort, he assumed) and a young man in his older teens.

Queen Serenity and her daughter shared the same hairstyle, and the moon crescent gleamed on their foreheads. The consort, and the young man shared the same features, blue eyed, and blond. Like the princess.

They walked past other paintings in the gallery, including portraits of the past rulers of the moon and a few landscapes. Finally, they were led through a hallway, and the footman explained, "This is the guest wing. Queen Serenity gave orders for the suite to be prepared. It has three bedrooms, and it shares a common room. We also took the liberty of preparing a room on either side of the suite, so that your protectorates would each of his privacy and still be able to hear you if it is necessary."

"Thank you. That is most kind." Endymion gave his royal smile, and his words were echoed by the four men who had come with him from Earth. They entered the suite the footman indicated and before Endymion entered completely, the four men opened each bedroom door, went inside and made noises that indicated they were checking inside the water closets and dressing rooms of each room.

Endymion rolled his eyes, but when Zoicite came out and said, "All clear," he was relieved. He turned to the footman and gave him a silver coin, thanking him and escorting him out the door. He looked into each of the rooms himself and chose the one with the balcony that faced the inner courtyard. It was also the middle bedchamber so Nephrite and Kunzite took each the other two rooms in the suite and Zoicite and Jadeite each took the rooms next to the suite. They settled in the for the night.

Meanwhile…

"Mother, what did you want to discuss?"

"Darling, your father, and brother will be joining us from the Sun tomorrow. Members from each planet will be joining us as well. We need to be on our guard, because it will be hard to screen every ship coming in tomorrow."

"You think there may be danger?" Lita asked, a fist balled at her side.

"I always think there will be danger. The Moon Kingdom and the Silver Alliance will always be in danger. We are royals and someone will always plot to take away our crowns. My duty, and the duty of you five girls is to be always vigilant," Queen Serenity. She stood up, "There have be threats on my life, Serena. Yours as well. Ami has screened many of the threats that have come through."

"Ami, is this true?" Rei turned to ask their wise and quiet friend.

"Yes. And each threat becomes worse. We have received several from a woman on Earth. She says she will soon have the ultimate power, and that we will come to regret our ignorance."

"Pshaw!" Minako said, "The Silver Alliance has the most power."

"Venus!" Serena said.

"Sadly, unless the Silver Alliance all agrees to the use of the power, we cannot stop it," Serenity said, "Now, my daughter, I wish to tell you about Endymion."

"Wait!" Rei interrupted, "Does Endymion know about this woman on his planet?"

"I do not know. There was an attempt on his life a few months ago. The assassin hid in his bedchambers and attacked while Endymion was asleep. Kunzite heard a noise coming from the room and charged in to see Endymion get stabbed twice before Kunzite was able to stop the man. Kunzite questioned the man, but he would not say who hired him, and they had to hang him for his treason against the Earth's crown," Serenity noticed the surprised glances. "Yes, they choose to kill those who attempt to kill a royal instead of banishing them to the far reaches of space.

"Why?" Serena asked, "And how do you know all of this?"

"I asked Pluto to keep an eye on the situation down there after Ami intercepted a death threat meant for Endymion," Serenity replied, and she walked to the desk in the corner, pulling out a sheaf of papers, "These are for the negotiations tomorrow. Take notes, and do not concede anything until we discuss it. Apollo, my consort, arrives tomorrow to join in at the Silver Alliance meeting. Do not let your brother, Aristaeus, near those negotiations," Serenity stood up, "Good night girls."

As soon as the queen left the room, the Guardians stood up and sat in chairs closer to Serena. She wore an odd expression on her face as she fanned out the sheaf of papers on her hands.

Finally, she turned to Minako, "I do not know why Mother wants Aristaeus to stay out of the negotiations, but I will follow her lead. Mina, would you mind escorting my brother the sun prince around the moon for the day?"

"Not at all," Mina smiled, "Is Taeus still very attractive?"

"How would I know? Anyway, Rei and Lita, I'll need you to be the guards in the room. Endymion is sure to bring his four men anyway, so I'll ask that he leave two to guard from the outside. Lita will you take point there?" Lita gave short nod in a agreement.

"Ami, I need you to give me a quick rundown on the Earth in the morning. Quick ok? Not too detailed."

Ami nodded as everyone yawned. "All right."

Serena stood up. "Good night. Meet me here at nine o'clock."

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Author's note: thanks for reading. I will try to get another (shorter) chapter up soon.

Please review.


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